A Game of Risk
by Ashj
Summary: Filled with Greek Restaurants, Russians,Immortals, and awkward moments. After a near fatal car accident, Masha Johnson moves to Manhatten... and now various mobs are after her. Rated T for Language. LuckxOc SUMMARY IS A LIE, READ THE REAL THING! -shot-
1. Prolouge

New York. The Big Apple. The City That Never Sleeps. Masha Johnson couldn't believe she made it there. She had always thought that she would be content over there in California, living her life by working a low wage job at a convenience store and residing in a dank apartment in a shady neighborhood.

At least that was the way she thought before her older sister got married to some shady looking Russian named Aleksander. He always seemed to wear a pair of tinted orange glasses and have a cigarette in hand. Despite meeting the rest of her family, oddly, he zoned in on her at once, screw the other relatives. He kept bugging her, trying to get to know her, and they got along fine. Three years ago, one year after her marriage, he gave her a job proposal, and she jumped at it like a hyena to fresh kill.

-.-.-.-.-.-..-

"_Masha…" She jumped and turned to her brother in law. "What's up?" "I heard you were looking for a job." He smiled at her. "Ah, well, yes." She looked down at her hands, shuffling her feet a bit."But I haven't had much luck." "It's because you're young. Why don't you just wait until you graduate high school?"_

"_Well, um, I just want my own money that's all. I don't like the fact that I have to depend on other people to buy me something…" "I understand, it's nice to see kids in this generation that don't like to impose. It gives me hope." Masha wrinkled her nose as he ruffled her hair with one of his large hands. "Well then, I suppose I could help you out if you want." "Really?" He grinned at her as she stared up at him with wonderment. "Of course! Anything for my darling sister-in-law."_

_..-..-.-.-..-.-.-._

She never trusted that man, in fact she more had this irking suspicion that he was down I something dirty, like crime dirty. Well, dammit, she was right all along. It started off with simple errands, delivering messages and running packages then later escalated into something more. At several points in time, he had he sit in bushes or under a window sill, listening to the plans of small time gangs. Masha saw he first fire fight within the first six months. She never killed anyone, oh no, never. Her sister made sure to threaten her husband that whatever happened to Masha, would happen to him twofold, so he kept her away from most of the violence.

That's right, she knew what was going on, what kind of dirty, filthy, violent shit her husband had gotten her little sister into… and she was fine with it. Masha was so sure that she had never experienced something so exciting in the whole 17 years that she lived.

Then of course, shit hits the fan just when something's getting good, like always. Her sister died one day in a car accident while going out for some groceries, leaving Masha with her three-year-old daughter, Katja. Alexander had gone off to New York to settle some things and wouldn't be back for a couple of months.

Now that wasn't so bad… except for the fact that young Miss Katja thought that she, Masha, was her mother! Really? Not much of a shocker actually, despite their seven year difference, the two of them practically looked like twins.

So, here she was, alone, taking care of a confused three-year-old, single handedly leading largely wanted gang, oh, and not to mention she was still in high school. Sounds Grand doesn't it?

..-..-.-..-.-.-.

"_Mama?" Katja tugged on the sleeve of her aunt. "Yes darling?" she tried to sound loving, she tried to sound like her sister did. It never felt right though. "Where's Papa? When's he coming back?" "He'll be back in a couple month's dear" "Ah."_

_.-..-..-.-..-_

So one day, it was made so very apparent that her sister never taught her child it's not safe to play in the street. There was Katji, the cute little devil, playing with a ball in the middle of the street, when some fucking Ford Focus comes screaming around the corner at oh say, 70 fucking mph, going right at her adorable niece. Now if you're asking me why she would let her three year old niece play in the middle of the street, they lived in a cul-de-sac and there have been no records of any car, namely Ford Focus's, that have ever come screaming around a corning and rammed into poor your defenseless girls.

Right so, next thing she knew, she was propelling her cute lil niece off to the side as a fucking Ford Focus rammed straight on into her. The windshield shattered, she went flying onto the hood, and her back just so happened to meet said pieces of glass. Ow. And then she slid of when the damn car just so happened to skid to a halt, onto her back.

She attempted to blink the stars out of her eyes unsuccessfully and they got larger and larger, listing to the screams of her niece become quieter and quieter, and watched as the puddle of blood under her get bigger and bigger. Aw hell.

.-..-.-.-..-.-

I apologize for the delay! Sooooooooooooo much! But, it Summer! And I've graduated high school so I should have plenty of time on my hands… maybe. I still have to apply for college and my mother wants me to take Driver's Ed. this summer so I'm not entirely sure of my schedule.

I didn't change much in the prologue, simply because I think it's fine. But the intial plot of the upcoming chapters has been changed, I wanted to go along with my first draft of the story where she has a bit of a normal life before she get's dragged in. The whole suddenly-dragged-into-the-mafia-the-second-she-hits-the-ground wasn't working for me, neither was Masha's personality. She was too frustrated in my eyes, I felt like I was pouring my anger into this story and found myself stuck, I wanted to turn her into a more rational person. Soooooooooooooooo, yeah. But for you Konstantine fangirls, he'll still be in the first chapter, more or less than the original.

A word of warning, this is probably a bit of a self insert as some points of Masha's overall persona and life situations resemble mine slightly such as in the next chapter she has an Uncle in New York that helps her out, I also have an Uncle in New York but he lives in the country side. I don't have much experience in life so I try to use what I can. Also, I don't really know what New York City is like, I've only been to Buffalo so I'm absolutely clueless XD.

Many thanks to my editor Emillime.

Is there really any need for a disclaimer in this chapter? There's absolutely nothing related to Baccano in here!


	2. Greet Your New Neighbors Properly

"_To New York? You're moving there? Why?"_

Masha Johnson smiled, "I'm attending college there. There's nothing to worry about, my Uncle will be helping me out until I can stand on my two feet. I'll be fine."

"_You can say that all you want but I'm still going to worry. Anyway… good luck out there. I gotta go."_

After saying her words of farewell to her friend she snapped the phone shut before staring at the concrete pillars of the airport. This was it; she would be leaving to start anew.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The 5 hour flight from LA wasn't that bad, she got stuck to a nice young couple, too young for her. They were both about a year younger than her! But it was quiet on her end; she spent the duration reading some random book she picked up on alchemy.

By the time they had gotten in, it was already 4 in the morning. Masha yawned as she stepped up to the baggage claim. There were people already crowded around the damn thing. A groan slipped from her lips as she squeezed through. Snatching her bag up as soon as she saw it, she turned to leave, only to find herself nose first into a very warm wall.

"Ah! Sorry!" She stepped back, rubbing her nose. "It's fine." She looked up at the man, built tall with a suit on and a pair of shades covering his eyes. How creepy. She walked around him and headed outside to wait for her uncle.

It was incredibly dull. For the next half hour she sat against one of the pillars and watched the other people; mainly the couple she sat next to once she spotted them. Or at least until some black Mercedes pulled up; and then they left.

As it turned out, there was more than one of those people in a black suit. There was a whole crowd of them over by the airport entrance, around some lanky guy with blonde hair. What were they? The Mafia? She snorted and grinned to herself before she saw a familiar face pull up in a car. "Masha!"

She scrambled up to greet him. "Uncle Peter!" After a brief embrace, he clapped his hands on her shoulders and looked her up and down. "Ah, you've grown since I last saw you. Come. I'll get your things." She protested a bit, but he convinced her to get settled in the car while he put her bags into his trunk.

"Now, I've found you a nice apartment in Manhattan. It's been around since the 1920's, so it's old, yes, but very comfy. I've already put in some old furniture of ours and your rent for the next three months has been payed… so you have time to find a job. But that's all I'm doing for you, ya hear?"

"Awwww, Uncle, you're so cool~"

"Don't hug me while I'm driving!"

"Sorry!"

She peeled off of him and faced forward.

-..-..-…-.-.

And here they were, parked in front of some old, dilapidated building. "This is it." It was already 6 o'clock. Masha groaned as she practically flopped out of his car and onto the sidewalk. They traversed up several flights of stairs until they hit the sixth floor. When they came to her door, her uncle handed her the key. "Take good care of it; I don't want any phone calls from the landlord, y'hear?" With a drowsy nod, she turned to open the door, Peter left after giving her a light pat on the shoulder.

Not even bothering to unpack, she collapsed onto the couch in the middle of the room and passed out.

-.-..-.-.-.

A week had passed since she moved in. Masha managed to fill out several applications forms for nearby restaurants and bookstores. But alas, she was bored. "There's nothing to doooooo." She whined as she sagged against the wall. Her wardrobe was already ransacked, the books she brought were already read, and she had no TV, Radio, or Playstation.

With a sigh, she propped up her head against the back wall. Two months ago she had woken up to find she didn't know anyone anymore. Her friends had moved and she couldn't manage to contact them. Aleksander showed up briefly to take custody of Katja while she was out, but left without visiting her. Her parents wanted nothing to do with her. She spent those next two months in therapy (physical and mental) and managed to discover that her Uncle Peter was willing to help her out. What luck she had! He payed for the plane ticket and everything.

So here she was now, bored and alone. Maybe she could find a nearby college to apply to. With another sigh she got up and started to straighten out her apartment.

..-.-…-.-..-.-.

Luck tucked the newspaper under his arm as he twisted the key in the lock. After a quick change he would go out to lunch with Firo and Ennis. The boy seemed ecstatic to tell him about the wonders of Japan. As he mused to himself a giggling stampede of two pushed him into his door. Cursing silently he turned to see the malevolent grins on the faces of the landlord's twins. At the age of 7, the duo was already making too much trouble.

"And what are you two so happy about so early in the day? Hm?" He looked down at them with a stern eye.

"Mama said somebody moved in."

"She said we should go say hi."

"Mama said it would be polite."

"It is really polite Mr. Luck?"

They tilted their heads in unison, staring up at him with large eyes.

"Yes… yes it is. Now you two go off and say hello. I have better things to do." "Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?" They pouted, "Mr. Luck is so mean~"

"So meeaaannn~"

And with that the two scampered off to the apartment next to his. With a small smile he watched them they argued over who should knock before turning the knob to his door and entering.

.-.-.-.-..-.-.-

"_Hey!"_

"_Heeeeeeeeeeyyyyy~"_

"_Open up!" _

"_Yeah open up!"_

Masha awoke to the a rather loud rapping on her door, groggily she hoisted herself of the couch and shuffled her way to the large wooden plank that currently stood in the way of her and the people she wanted to strangle. With one jerking movement, she had the confounded thing open and was now staring at an empty hallway.

"Hey lady!"

"Lady!"

"Look, look!"

"Down here!"

She lowered he gaze to find a boy and a girl staring up at her. "Ummmmmmm, yes?" They both exchanged a look and grinned. Uh oh.

"Ladyyyyyyy~"

"What's ya name lady?"

"Ah, it's Masha."

"Masha!" They cheered, "Ne, Masha?"

"Guess what?"

"Our Mama's the landlord!"

"She said to say hi."

"She's letting you stay here."

"So you gotta be nice to us!"

"Cause we're you bosses."

"Got it?"

They both gave her a smug look and crossed their little arms… it was actually rather cute.

Masha blinked as she soaked it all in. "Um, okay."

"You shouldn't listen to them."

"Uwa~ Mr. Luck!"

A man leaned against her doorway with a playful smirk. "They're nothing more than a bunch of trouble makers. It's just their mother that you have to look out for." She blinked again before standing at full height. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, she once threatened to set my apartment on fire if I didn't pay the rent on time. Lo and behold, on the day it was due, I found her standing at my doorway with a can of hair spray and a lighter."

Masha giggled. "Sounds traumatic."

"You have no idea." He smiled and extended his hand, "Luck Gandor, your new neighbor."

"Ah, Masha Johnson, it's nice to meet you Mr. Gandor." She took his hand and shook it firmly. The twins stared up at them, clearly taking a dislike to being ignored.

"Hey."

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyyy~"

"S' rude to interrupt Mr. Luck!"

"Yeah! Rude!"

..-.-.-.-..-.

"You find her?"

"No sir, Konstantine is very sorry, ya." The blond man bowed to his boss.

"It's nothing to be sorry for. Don't worry about it. I found where she's living anyway." Konstantine blinked at the man. "Should I-"

"No, give her a couple days to get settled." He looked at his boss with consternation. "All I want to do is say hello after all."

.-..-.-..-.-.-.-.-

**Wahahhahahahahhahahahhaha! It is complete!**

**Masha: A complete waste of time that is.**

**Oh hush! You know nothing of the amount of labor I put into this!**

**Masha: What labor, it took you 3 months to write this chapter!**

**And what dreadful labor at that.**

**Masha: There wasn't any labor at all, you just procrastinated.**

**Luck: She has a point.**

**Whaaaaaaaaaaaat! You too Luck? Has everyone turned against me?**

**Luck: I was never on you side to begin with.**

**Masha: Just do the disclaimer darling. It'll shut her up.**

**No it won't! You lie, you filthy-**

**Luck: Ashj does not own Baccano or any of it character who are instead owned and created by Ryougo Narita. She does own Masha, her Uncle Peter, and Konstantine however.**

**Yes! Yeeeeeeeeeeeesssssss! Mwahahahhahaahahaha! Now review, before I send Claire to nom of your fingers!**

**Claire: C'mon man; that was only one time!**

**Czes: -screams and runs away-**

**(Because I know a lot of you are probably going What the Fuck? Right now XD Feel free to ask questions)**


	3. All for the sake of Rice Pudding

At least her neighbor was nice, Masha thought to herself as she descended the flight of stairs to the main lobby. She was running low on milk, and to Masha, that was like having the plague hit… only ten times worse. Besides, this would be a good opportunity to check out the local grocers. Anyway, she actually didn't know who lived on the other side of her.

.-.-.-.-..-.-..-.

Meanwhile, Konstantine was having a miserable day. Volke wouldn't shut his mouth and was now ranting on about how much better he was than the measly head of the Intelligence Branch of the Yuriev Family. Joseph was not happy, and the two got into a shouting match, resulting in a headache for the poor platinum blond man.

With a sigh, he leaned back to view the cloudless sky from the bench in the park that he currently sat on. And the boss still wanted him to find that girl… Ah, speaking of which. Konstantine checked his watch, finding that it was growing closer to 3. He'd spent too much time in one place. Hoisting himself off the bench, he stood and brushed himself off before starting down cement walkway.

.-.-..-.-..-.-.-.

Sweet Jesus. Masha had hit the jackpot. Not only did they have milk, but rice pudding too. She made a mental note to come here first when she had cravings. Masha had found a Grocer a couple blocks away… right next to a bakery. Not that she would go in. While she still did have cravings, the idea of getting a whole chocolate cake to shove in her fridge that every other woman did made her feel nauseous. In fact anything sweet smelling at all made her feel that way, but rice pudding… rice pudding was the fucking best.

Masha wandered down to the rack of spices at the other end of the store, pondering if she had some nutmeg stashed away somewhere. AH, what the hell? She flung a small vial of it into her basket before heading to where the cashier was. He was a nice guy… kind of. He gave her a weird look, like weird as in suspicious. (since you're in third person, it's best not to use "I")

With a shrug, she walked away from the grocer, setting her sights on returning to her home.

..-.-.-.-..-.-.-.-.

The grocer's clerk frowned. That woman… looked familiar. He didn't know where he'd seen her and he couldn't help but feel like he was forgetting something. Ah, well, no matter. The cashier scratched his head before greeting the newest customer who was ready for a purchase.

-.-..-.-.-..-.-.-.

Masha pushed her way past crowds as she made the way to her building, which was within eyesight. "C'mon, c'mon. Outta the way." She had never seen so many people on a sidewalk before.

"Oi! Watch out!" A voice called out one second too late as a person ran into her. The bag of groceries tumbled onto the sidewalk, much to her chagrin. And the jerk didn't stop to help her. At least her pudding was safe. She hurried to retrieve the items before they were crushed under the feet of the many pedestrians.

"Quite a pinch you're in, ya?" Someone asked as the held the vial of nutmeg in front of her face. Raising her vision, she spotted the man who was currently kneeling in front of her.

"Oh, um, yes. Thank you." She took it as he began to gather the other remaining things. Masha sat silently, observing him. He looked somewhat familiar, like she had seen him somewhere before. She narrowed her eyes and rubbed her chin.

"Is something wrong, ya?" The man in front of her looked concerned, her paper bag held in both of his hands. A braid of platinum blond hair fell over one of his shoulders as she stared up at him.

"No… it's nothing. Thanks for the help."

"Is no problem." He helped her up before returning her bag to her. "You new here, ya?" He looked her up and down.

"Just moved her about two weeks ago."

"Aha! Konstantine thought as much!" Oh so his name was Konstantine, was it? "You lack accent of New Yorker." He was a fine one to talk. He spoke like a Russian immigrant, probably was one.

"I suppose I do, I moved here from California. So your name is Konstantine, huh?"

"It is." He confirmed it with a nod, smiling down at her cheerfully. My, wasn't he a happy fellow?

"Mine is Masha, Masha Johnson."

"Ah, Masha. 'Bitter.' You Russian too, yes?" She could do nothing but nod. This… wasn't the type of situation she was used to. Growing up, she never did like talking to cheery people. They pissed her off for some reason so she avoided them, but this one… he could be hard to get rid of. "Small world, eh?[1] We Russians always seem to find each other. Is great thing, ya."

Masha steeled herself for a rant as she stood in front of him, clutching a bag of groceries. Agh, the pudding was going to get warm… aha! An excuse! "Well, I most certainly agree. We all seem to have a talent when it comes to finding our own kind." He nodded, urging her to go on. "Perhaps we'll find each other again someday." And now he was puzzled. "I have to get going now, though. I have things I need to put in my fridge."

Please buy it. Please buy it. .

"Konstantine understands. Will find Masha later on then. Farewell, ya." He ruffled her hair before walking past her. She turned back to glare at him, a hand working at straightening out the mess.

"See you later!" And now she was going to go up to her apartment and never come out again.

.-.-.-.-.-..-.-.

The cashiers hands slammed onto the counter (scaring a nearby customer in the meanwhile) as he suddenly realized something. He remembered where he saw that woman before! Some blond weirdo came in looking for her. He even showed the clerk a picture. Seemed kinda shady, but maybe it was just because of his accent. Either way, the clerk shrugged to himself before returning to his duties. What did it matter to him anyway?

.-.-…-.-.-.-.-.—

Konstantine rummaged through his pockets as he stood in front of a vending machine. A small folded up square fell out onto the ground, catching his eye, as he retrieved a small wad of ones from the depths. With a grunt, he bent over to reclaim it.

"What is this?' Ah, wait. That's right. It was the picture of the woman he was supposed to find. With a small rustle, it unfolded in his hands as he stared at it. "…"

BANG!

A group of nearby teenager jumped as the man slammed his head against the vending machine.

"Sasha. I am very sorry. Konstantine has failed you again…" he half groaned, half sobbed.

The picture fluttered to the floor, revealing the smiling face of a brunette.

.-..-.-..-.-.-..-

"Afternoon, Masha."

"Good afternoon, Luck. Leaving rather late, are we?" She greeted as she passed her neighbor. It was 5 in the afternoon for Christ's sake! Did he have the late shift or something?

"Not really. We haven't been getting much business lately. To be honest, I don't know whether to be happy or concerned." He complained.

"If anything, I'd be happy. You've got more time off to do something, after all."

"I guess you have a point there." Yes, Victory is at hand! Luck gave Masha a cynical smile. "If there was actually something to do here."

She frowned, "Now don't say that. There are plenty of things to do. I'm sure of it."

"You forget, I've been living here most of my life."

"Ack! You're right about that." Masha fidgeted at her door before turning to grin at him sheepishly. "I still have much to learn, huh?'

He waved it off as he walked down the hallway. 'Don't concern yourself over it. You'll get used to it in no time. I'll see you around."

"See you!" She called after him as he rounded the corner. The lock clicked shortly before she practically kicked in her door.

"Never again… will I accept help from strange Russians. Today… was so… awkward." The pudding was in the fridge, thank God. Masha flopped down onto her couch and stared up at the ceiling.

"I hate my life."

..-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

**I'm not entirely sure I like this chapter… it was weird to write…. But then again I don't really plan this stuff out. I plan as I go. I've got the initial plot down but…**

**Masha really does mean 'Bitter', looked it up a couple of days ago. It kinda suit's her, doesn't it?**

**Yes, I have practically looked up the names of all my Russian people in this story. But you know what the one I couldn't find the meaning of? Yuriev. Yuri-fucking-ev. I was about ready to throw my computer into the wall. It's a surname. How hard can that be?**

**[1] A line from somewhere… a certain game… that involves zombies… which one. Mwahahahahhahaha!**

**Masha: That does it. She's officially gone mad.**

**Psh, you're the one with the craving for rice pudding.**

**Masha: And you're the one who finished a whole tub in a day.**

**Don't forget the chapter too~**

**Clerk: Explains why it sucks so much.**

**Wha-! How did he get in here?**

**Clerk: I was fired for traumatizing the customers with my frequent hand-slamming**

**Masha: Now look what you did.**

**Clerk: Yeah! Look what you did.**

**Masha: Shut up, I'm doing the talking here.**

**Clerk: Yes Ma'am**

**Masha: And now you get to do your own disclaimer. Serves you right for being so cheap. Let's go Mr. Clerk **

**Ahem. Baccano and its characters belong to Ryougo Narita and not me. If it did, Claire really would be God. However, Masha, Mr. Clerk, Konstantine, and Alexander belong to me. Now review! Before I unleash the wrath of Ladd's shotgun!**

**Ladd: You know what, Lua… I feel like I'm missing something.**

**MWAHAHAHHAAHAHHA!**


	4. Craving Salad Equals Job Opportunity?

Masha Johnson cursed under her breath as she stood in front of the Greek restaurant. Where was she? Around the entrance to Little Italy? Across the street lay another restaurant with a big flickering yellow sign reading _Alveare_. The smell of it had wafted across the street, drawing in curious tourists like a bug zapper. It was little wonder the place she now stood in front of only had a few patrons. It mattered little though, because she was craving a Greek Salad, and it had better be worth the mile she had walked to get it.

She was greeted by the soft tinkle of a bell and a cool blast or air as she walked inside. The others didn't seem to even bother with a glance in her direction as they typed away on their laptops while discussing business with people on the other end of their cellular phones. The cashier, the willowy shaped woman with incredibly frizzy red hair seemed to glare at her as she closed the distance between the counter and herself.

"The hell're you staring at?" She quirked an eye brow at her while she chewed at her lip. Masha stared at her with annoyance. What was with that expression? All she wanted to do was eat some Greek Salad, but noooooooooooooo, instead the cashier had to stare at her like she was an insect. The lady smirked slowly.

"Lookin' for work kid?"

Kid? Who's the kid? Sure, she looked a little on the young side, but still! "I'm nineteen, first of all. Second of all, no. I just want something to eat."

"Then why didn't you say so! People these days just don't know how to speak up."

Are you serious? Masha stared at the woman blankly. "I was TRYING to be POLITE."

"Well bein' polite gets you nowhere nowadays kiddo. Just tell me what you want."

"A Greek Salad."

"15 bucks."

"WHAT?"

"I said 15 bucks. You gotta problem with that?"

Oh my god. She was about ready to screw the bimbo's head off and stick it on the handle of the nearest mop she could find. She only wanted a salad.

"That's a bit overpriced for a salad!"

"Well, we only got three people working here and we gotta pay them somehow."

Whoa, only three? The look of surprise she had melted away into a smirk. She smelled opportunity.

"Only three people huh? Sounds tough." She leaned against the counter in a leisurely manner.

"You bet it is. We got two people cooking and me. Though I don't know whether to thank God for the amount of customers. It's all that _Alveare_ place's fault. They even got a freakin chain!"

"You ever tried advertising?"

The lady quirked an eyebrow at her."Does it look like we're made of money?"

Ah, she had a point. This sort of place that had few customers and fewer customers meant less money. Less money meant fewer employees, which leads to desperation, which leads to easier jobs to get.

CHA-CHING.

"You guys could use a waitress, too."

"Ah ha! So you are lookin' for a job!" Masha averted her gaze from the inch long nail that the woman currently stuck closely between her eyes.

"… Perhaps."

"Hired!"

"WHAT!" Her head whipped back to stare at the woman in front of her. She was mad, very, very mad to give her a job, just like that. The woman scurried back to where the kitchen was with excitement.

"Ma! MA!"

"WHAT?" A shrill voice screeched from the back of the restaurant causing Masha to wince.

"There's a girl back here who says she'll waitress for us!"

"Eh? What's that?" An elderly woman slid into view, whipping a hairnet off her bright frizzy red hair. She thrust her head out to observe Masha, eyes squinting over at her. "She's not Greek." Way to point out the obvious Captain. She resisted the urge to drag her hand down her face then and there. "She is a very thin girl, no good."

What?

-.-..-.-.-.-.-..-.

"Hey Luck, didja hear?"

"Hm?" He let the newspaper he was currently reading fold over slightly to so he could see his brother's face. The headline's were nothing special, just more news about the war currently waging overseas.

"Apparently that Konstantine fellow has been wandering around our territory lately."

"Is that so?" He blinked. "Whatever for, I wonder…"

"He's been asking around for somebody. Some girl that came here recently from what people have been telling me."

"Ah, is that so? I don't think it's anything to be concerned about. Konstantine hasn't caused any sort of trouble for us in the past, why would he now?" Luck watched as his older brother's mouth opened and closed and he rifled through his mind for an excuse.

Berga's face fell, though he knew Luck was right, he was disappointed at not being able to dish out his own brand of justice. [1]

-.-.-..-.-..-.-..-

Despite her immediate rejection, the cashier, whose name turned out to be Maria, managed to convince her mother to let her have the job. The old woman gave in, but still displayed disapproval at Masha 'non-Grecian' body structure.

She was promptly thrown a fitting work uniform and was told to come in every day at Five o'clock.

"Oh, and…" Maria proceeded to chew her gum for a minute before continuing, "Days off… well, you'll have to talk to Mama about that."

And thus began the rest of the life of Masha Johnson, waitress extraordinaire… kidding.

And thus Masha began her minimum waged job as a waitress, much to her own displeasure.

Masha excused herself and left the restaurant, beginning her thirty minute trek back to her apartment near Mulberry Street, squeezing herself past the thick crowds of tourists.

"You got a job?" Luck currently stared at the uniform in her hands as she fumbled for her apartment key. The two met up when she entered the building and began their usually discussion of how their days went. Masha quietly reminded herself to ask him what exactly he did in the working world.

"Yeah, it's kinda low paying, but it works I guess."

"As?" He raised a thin eyebrow at her.

"A waitress. I'm going to work at that Greek restaurant near the entrance to Little Italy."

"Oh? That place across from the Alveare?"

"Oh! You know it?" She was overjoyed, but didn't know why.

"I go there sometimes. Perhaps I'll see you there." His vulpine eyes narrowed slighted as he smiled at her. Once again, a happy feeling overwhelmed Masha as she slid her key into the lock.

"You probably will, I don't think my new boss is going to cut me any days off anytime soon." She grinned sheepishly at him as they bade each other farewell for the night.

As their doors closed, the figure hiding on a lower level of the stairwell narrowed their eyes before creeping off.

..-.-.-.-.-.-..—

**[1] Because Berga dishing out his own branch of justice means excessive violence... and Kon's to pretty to get hit.**

**Dear lord! I actually finished this!**

**I am terribly, terribly sorry for the late update. I have few excuses, such as, my sisters wedding was the weekend after I posted the last chapter, and I got a new video game so I was kinda playing that this whole time. Another is that this was kinda difficult for me, a probably still will be regarding Masha's waitressing job seeing as, though I am 18, I have never worked a paying job in my life.**

**And yet another is that, I suffered a recent episode of subsequent depression. College is drawing near, and I was stressing myself over what I pictured myself doing in the future, only to find I can't picture myself doing ANYTHING in the future (yeah, I'm one of those people) and the fact I have never have thought myself worthy of existing (thanks to being frequently picked on until I was 14) There's no need to worry about me, after crying on a few shoulders, I've been feeling a lot better.**

**Anyway, thank you to the 2 other people than my editor who have reviewed/commented on my work. It helps with the motivation –thumbs up-**

**Also, a quick note, I actually found a way to get to know Little Italy, not very good, but I get the basic idea… it's called GOOGLE MAPS. XD**

**Though it does take a while to load, I got a good view of Mulberry Street (I was actually secretly hunted for the Carragioso, too bad its fictional, it's supposed to be in some alleyway off of it. Curses…)**

**So yeah… Masha has a job now and the Gandor's have noticed Kon snooping about. I didn't exactly go into the multiple point of view thing in this chapter, mainly because I was unmotivated but partially because I wanted to save most of what I had planned for this chapter, and use it in the next.**

**For you Konstantine fangirls, yes, he will pop up in the next chapter. Technically he did pop up in this one… *shifty eyes***

**Masha: What do you mean minimum wage!**

**It's how all us young people start off. Get over it.**

**Masha: I will never… get over it. And that hag called me skinny!**

**Greeks are Greeks, it's just how they are. Get ov-**

**Masha: Say get over it again, I DARE you.**

**No thanks, if I die, you have no future**

**Masha: Uh… I hadn't thought of that…**

**Of course you haven't, now then. The disclaimer if you will.**

**Masha: Ashj does not own Luck or Berga Gandor or any of the other Baccano characters, she does own Masha, Konstantine, Maria, and her mother… oh yes, and the plotline… technically**

**Review if you please, it would be very nice motivation. If nooooooooooooooottttttt, well let's just say Goose will have a field day staring at you like a creeper.**


	5. Despite What Her Uncle Told Her

Chapter 4~ Despite What Her Uncle Told Her, The Land Lady Persists That She Pay Her Rent

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Masha Johnson was terrified- no, scratch that, she was petrified as she plastered herself against the wall parallel to her doorway, her two hands raised above her head in submission. There, standing a few feet away from her stood the very thing she was so very afraid of at this early hour.

What the heck happened, you ask? Well it was something like this:

-Five Minutes Earlier-

"Alright! ALRIGHT! Ahm commin'! Jus' hold yer horses!" Masha slurred at her front door as she stumbled out of her fold up bed. Almost running into the wall, she fumbled around for the knob before grabbing onto it and yanking the door open. "Whaddaya wan'?" she thrust her head out into the hallway to glare at whoever disturbed her peaceful slumber. The first thing that came into her sight was a lighter… no, it was a hand holding a lighter, and behind it was another holding a can of… something.

Blinking once, twice, she starred at the blurry image of the two things being held in front of her before shuffling back and closing the door. She needed more sleep, yes, that was it. More sleep. Stifling a yawn, she trudged her way back to her nice… warm… comfy… bed~

Of course she only got about halfway there when the door was abruptly kicked open and someone rushed inside, yelling incoherent things at her all the while. With an ear piercing shriek, Masha threw herself against the closest thing she could find, the wall, thus, leading us to where we left off.

She, now fully awake, stared as a lighter was once again shoved in front of her face, a foot stood between her nose and that thing. Next came the rattling as the perpetrator shook their can of, Masha squinted, oh… okay it was hairspray.

"Now then," The figure said, by the sound of their voice, they were female, "Pay me what you owe."

She blinked. What? What did she just say? Masha didn't recall owing anyone anything, except for maybe that one guy she went to high school with who she borrowed five dollars from, but hey, he wouldn't come all the way to New York just for that… would he?

Just then, Masha began to vaguely remember the story Luck told her about the land lady when they first met.

"_Yeah, she once threatened to set my apartment on fire if I didn't pay the rent on time. Lo and behold, on the day it was due, I found her standing at my doorway with a can of hair spray and a lighter."_

_Masha giggled. "Sounds traumatic." _

"_You have no idea."_

Well she got the idea now. Sweet Jesus.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Luck Gandor was not a happy man. No, in fact he was feeling rather murderous, having been awoken so abruptly and so early by some terrible scream coming from the hallway that made his ears want to start bleeding. Honestly, who in all of hell could scream that loud? He silently swore that if he ever found out who it was that they would have a dinner date with the fishes in the bay.

Absent-mindedly he checked the calendar. Ah, it was rent day. That would explain the scream… somewhat. Oh wait, Masha had yet to experience a rent day. Yes that's right, she moved in shortly after the last one. Luck pondered over it silently before realizing one thing, that scream most likely came from her.

With a sigh, he stood and made to exit his apartment.

.-.-.-.-.-.-

"H-hey, listen. Can't we just talk this out?" She pleaded, looking her land lady in the eyes.

"No, now pay up."

"Aw c'mon! It's like," she paused to check the clock, "5 in the morning! Can't this wait?"

"No"

Good lord, was this woman hard to bargain with. At any rate, she may have to bust out the big guns and go all out Tae-kwon-do on her, Yeah, that's right, she knew Tae-kwon-do. Blame it on her older brother, who insisted on teaching her every new technique he learned, which include (somehow) how to disarm a person.

"Hey wait! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? LEGGO OF ME!" The land lady screamed.

Oh hey. Masha snapped out of her thoughts to find Luck had somehow snuck into her apartment and had the land lady by the collar. Brilliant. Just… brilliant.

"Miss Mayu, what do you think you're doing?" He brought the middle aged woman to eye level, "Do you realize what time it is?"

"SHE'S TRYING TO KILL ME, LUCK!" Masha wailed, maneuvering to hide behind the taller man.

"LIES!" the woman argued, shooting her tenant a glare. "I'm simply collecting the rent you owe me, that's all."

"But my uncle said he paid for my first three months here."

"Yeah so?"

"That was in August! ITS' ONLY SEPTEMBER." She deadpanned, staring at the older woman coldly.

"No it's not! It's clearly- um… what month is it again, Mr. Gandor?"

"It's September," he yawned.

With a snort, Masha crossed her arms victoriously and sent the lady an I-told-you-so look, which was returned with a scowl.

"Fine then. I guess you're safe… THIS TIME."

"I swear if this happens again next month I'll-"

"Would you two please quiet down?" Luck attempted to interject, peering down at the two of them.

"-beat you over the head with the nearest thing I can get my hands on."

"And what if there's nothing nearby?" Miss Mayu taunted.

"Then I'll-"

"My head hurts." Once again he tried to intervene, failing yet again.

"-bust out some martial arts or something."

"Ha! I doubt you could!"

"That's it. I'm going back to bed." He applied bluntly, before turning around.

"No wait! Luck!" Masha lunged forward, grabbing onto his naked arm. "Don't leave me here with HER." She muttered with horror, her eyes flitting towards their land lady.

"Just kick her out."

"WHY I NEVER-" Apparently Miss Mayu caught wind of it, as she started to object, sending the two a reproachful glare.

"Mamaaaaaaaaaaa."

"Mamaaaaaaaaa wher' are youuuuuuu."

In an instant the woman froze as two sleepy, child like voices called from below. Narrowing her eyes she strutted towards the doorway.

"You win this time… but next time, you'll be sorry!" she called as she rushed down the stairs. "Just wait a second my darlings! Mama's right here!"

"…"

"…"

"… Well that was convenient."

"I'll say."

"Um…" Masha released Luck's arm, backing away slightly. "Good night?"

A ghost of a smile appeared on the man's face as he stared down at her. "Good night." He agreed, before shambling away back to the confines of his own warms covers. "Oh… and Miss Masha." He paused at the entranceway. "You look much better with your hair down. You should wear it like that more often."

She sputtered at him, turning red. True enough, she never really wore her hair down whenever he saw her around; it was refreshing to see her like that.

"Well you look good without a shirt and bed hair." She muttered to herself. "But you don't see me saying nuthin'."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**THE END!**

**Okay, not really… but yeah. I'm pretty sure you all want to beat me over the head with the nearest object now. *laughs nervously***

**SWEET JESUS! ABOUT 5 PAGES!**

**New record for me!**

**For some strange reason I can't stand writing long chapter like others do. I don't know how they do it! I envy their patience.**

**So… um… yeah.**

**And now y'all have met the land lady. Wonderful isn't she? *claps***

**I stayed up late typing this. Be thankful, I actually bothered with it. Yes, I am terrible. DEAL WITH IT.**

**Masha: … You gave me fanservice… I LOVE you.**

**You're welcome, though the fanservice was just a random though. Do I leave him shirtless? Or does he sleep with a shirt on *narrows eyes* Ah, well. I left it off for the sake of you fangirls out there. AND HEAVENS ARE THERE FEW! … maybe. I still don't understand why DuRaRaRa! Has more fanfiction than Bacanno!**

**IT MAKES NO SENSE! Maybe its because of Shizaya or something like that. Oh! I know! Its because it's easier to write for!**

**Yeah it probably is, half the authors out there don't want to look up nuthin' on the prohibition era so they settle for writing for something more modern. Kinda what I'm doing… except it was because I could only picture something in a modern setting… and the Gandors need some more modern love~ srsly… they just, like, disappeared. WTF**

**. DISCLAIMER!**

**Masha: Ashj does not own any of Baccano's plot sequences (be they coincidential or not) and/or characters, they instead belong to one Ryohgo Narita (aka 'the epic one'). She does however own Masha, the Landlady, and her children (who have yet to be named).**

***looks at above statement* That last sentence kinda looks wrong…**

**Masha: Well it's ALREADY BEEN WRITTEN! … so deal with it.**

**Fine!**

**Review please! (all of mine are pretty much from my editor/ beta reader person, save for, like, three) C'MON PEOPLE! GIVE AN OPINION! *loads shotgun***


	6. Awkward Restaurant Visit is Awkward

**October 10****th****. 2003**

"Maybe I should get a tattoo or something." Masha pondered as she walked down the street, groceries in hand. Yeah, that would be nice. She would get an awesome Tribal tattoo that zigzagged down her arm. Ah, but no, that would be expensive. Unfortunately she didn't have that sort of money with her job. Maria had given her the day off, apparently today was some sort of Greek holiday or something.

As she was busy sorting out her own thoughts, she tripped on a piece of raised concrete. With a startled shriek, she tumbled forward… right into someone's arms. Startled, she shot her head up and found herself gazing into two sparkly, bright blue eyes… until her hair decided to flop over in front of her left eye, and then everything went blurry.

"Askasjdfs!" She sputtered, pushing off from Konstantine. Her hands flew to her face to brush away her bangs, dropping her groceries in the process. And then she found herself falling backwards, due for a pleasant meeting with the concrete.

-.-.-.-

My, my, what a clumsy girl. Konstantine watched with amusement as she stumbled around momentarily, putting his mirth on hold to catch the bag of groceries she dropped, before it hit the ground and its contents scattered themselves across the pavement and under the feet of strangers. A second later he heard a thump and glanced up to find her sprawled across the sidewalk on her back.

That was when he could hold it in no longer.

"Hahahaha! You are clumsy girl, yes?"

"Just shut up and help me out." She grumbled in response.

"Alright, alright. Here." He held his hand out to her, which she gladly took.

"So, long time, no see. Eh, Masha?" Konstantine winked at her with his stupid sparkly bright blue eyes. Such pretty eyes… that were stupid. Masha puffed up her cheeks.

"We've only met once, so I wouldn't really say _that."_

"Ah, I suppose you're right, da?"

There was a long pause.

"Do you need help?" he waggled the bag he was holding in front of her eyes.

"Um, yeah… I guess." She said abashedly, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

.-.-.-.-.-.-

**October 19****th**** 2003**

"Oh? So she agreed?"

"Da."

"I see! Well that's good." Aleksander leaned back in his chair. "So how is she doing out there?"

"Well… ahh…" Konstantine scratched at the back of his head. "Masha seems fine with her space, da."

"I seeee." His boss drawled, before a coy grin spread across his face. "So is she pretty?"

Konstantine choked on his own spit. "What? Sasha, be serious."

"I am serious. So is she?"

"Em… well…"

.-.-.-.-.-

**October 11****th**** 2003**

Masha blinked slowly at Luck. Well, this was unexpected. And by unexpected, she didn't think he would drop by the restaurant she worked at EVER. Of course he said he would, but she didn't really think that he'd-

"Are you stupid or something?" Maria waved a hand in front of her face. "We have customers! Go attend to them!" And with a shove, she stumbled up to Luck… and his friend; his very familiar friend.

"Sorry." He apologized, giving her a small smile.

"There's no need. It was just rather unexpected, that's all." She gestured dismissively. "Here, let me find you two a table."

"Oh, that's right. Masha, this is Firo. He used to live in our apartment complex." Said friend named Firo gave her a nod, which she returned. He was dressed rather casually; a graphic tee thrown over a pair of loose fitting cargo pants. She squinted at him, trying to place where she had seen him before.

"Nice to meet you. Well then, right this way." Masha guided them towards a small, unused table near the front window, giving them a view of the ever despised, yet very successful restaurant across the street.

Shortly after slapping down a pair of menus onto the table(with such enthusiasm, it startled both men), she fumbled around for a minute in her apron before withdrawing a pad and pen, which she promptly held in front of her.

"Now then, can I get you anything to drink?"

"Water should do."

"Same here."

With a nod , she jotted it down before turning around to trot back over to the waitressing station… before she suddenly remembered where she had seen this Firo character.

"Aha!" The both jumped as Masha suddenly whirled around, pointing the butt of her pen at Firo. "Now I remember you!" Both Luck and he exchanged a confused look. "You're that fellow who I sat in the same row with on the plane over here, you and your wife!"

.-.-.-..—

**October 11****th**** 2003 (isn't this the tenth?)**

Unfortunately, Konstantine demanded to accompany her to her apartment. A rather uncomfortable thing for her to do, seeing as she only met him twice so far. Shortly after, she and he were mauled by the twins… and their mother, who seemed to flirt with him at first chance.

"So, are you two dating?" Masha sighed and glared at the woman. She managed to ambush her after she snuck off to put her groceries in her apartment.

"I've only met him _twice_."

"Haven't you ever heard of love at first sight?"

"No." It came out bluntly.

"Not even with Mr. Luck~?"

"Heaven's no!" She sputtered at her, "We're just neighbors!"

"Sure, whatever you say, hun. Tamsen! Nicholas! Come on. We still have shopping to do."

Both the twins froze and immediately abandoned their activity of tugging at Konstantine's hair to follow their mother out the door, leaving the two in an awkward silence.

"Uh… sorry about that." Masha twirled a lock of hair around her index finger, as if hoping that small action would relieve her from her embarrassment. "I should have warned you about them."

"It's fine, ya." Konstantine gave her a rough pat on the head, making her flinch. "Kids will be kids, da."

"I hate to break it to you, but those aren't kids, they're devils in disguise."

He chuckled lightly. "Whatever you say."

.-.-.-.-.-.

**October 19****th**** 2003**

"She is kind of… da." Konstantine shuffled his feet, glancing off to the side in hopes that his boss would not see how red his ears were.

"Kind of?" Aleksander looked like a Cheshire cat now, with a grin as wide as his face.

He did not answer, only nodding his head."

"It's official then!" His boss slammed his hand down on his desk, rising from his chair. The young man gave him a startled look. "You two should get married!"

"What!"

"Just kidding~"

Konstantine looked like he was about to faint. All the color drained from his faced and was instead replaced with a bright pink hue.

"C-can I go now, Sasha?" It came out as a whine as he gave his boss a pleading stare. Taking pity on the poor fellow, Aleksander dismissed him.

"Sure, sure, go on ahead."

.-.-.-.-.-

**October 11****th**** 2003**

Firo's face fell into a blank look before snapping his fingers and pointing right back at her. "That's right! You sat next to Ennis."

She nodded rapidly and grinned. Luck suddenly felt left out as the two had a brief chat before Masha simply hand them their drinks and then stalked off to attend to other customers.

"Soooo, she's pretty cute, you know." Firo winked at his friend, who just gave him a baffled look in response. "I'd certainly be happy living next door to that."

"Mpfh, I suppose. The fights she gets into with the landlady aren't exactly great." Luck shrugged as he took a sip of water and skimmed the laminated piece of paper in front of his face.

"I can only imagine why, that woman is nuts. By the way, what do you mean by 'used to live'? I still live there." He frowned, jabbing Luck in the shoulder with his pointer finger. "I just moved down a couple floors, sheesh."

"It's not like it matters."

"Not like what matters?" Masha had returned,

"That Luck lied to you, I still live there."

"Oh… alright then. Are you to ready to…?"

"Not yet, no. Sorry for the delay."

"Its fine. I've got to go take care of the other customers anyway. Let me know when you've made up your mind alright?" And with that, she pranced off again.

"So she's cute, right?" Luck gave him a blank look, "Masha." He elbowed his friend in the side. "DO. YOU. THINK. SHE'S. CUTE?"

"…" Luck glanced over to where Masha was currently arguing with the cashier. What was her name again? Nancy? Mary? Ah, wait, Marcy. That was it. And then, with a small cough, he averted his gaze to the menu. "I would suppose she is, yes."

"Good, now ask her out."

.-.-.-.-.-.—

"Masha, I just want you to keep to the other tables."

She paused mid step, before swinging around to give Maria the eye. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me, keep to the other tables. We're really busy today. I'll take care of your friend."

Oh, she'll take care of her alright. Masha couldn't help but notice a couple of buttons on Maria's blouse just so happened to have undone themselves.

"I'm sure you will, but unfortunately I'm already done with most of the tables." She gestured to the tray of dirty dishes in her hands. "You might want to stay close to the register. People are going to need to pay soon."

They narrowed their eyes at each other. Masha needed Maria to stay in her own territory. It's not that she thought Luck would take the bait, and Firo was a married man… boy, but she just wasn't comfortable with the thought of her near him.

"What's going on here? Would you two ninnies stop glaring at each other and get to work!" Maria's grandmother had emerged from the kitchen and was now waving a ladle at the two of them.

"Maria's trying seduce the customers," Masha shot back accusingly, to which Maria gasped with outrage. Her grandmother looked thoughtful before yelling at her in Greek. Her coworker glared at her before retreating back behind the cash register.

That's right. Masha returned the gesture before waddling into the kitchen.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.

**September 29****th**** 2003**

"Volke, I don't recall employing you to start a war." Aleksander gritted out to the person on the other end on the line. He had the phone jammed up to his ear as his employee squabbled countless things at him.

"Excuses, just the thing I _didn't _want to hear. I'm getting sick and tired of the messes you make, Volke."

The man pleaded for another chance, once again spouting excuses.

"I already told you that I don't want to hear it. Just make sure it doesn't happen again."

The other end exploded with songs of gratitude, which were cut short as Aleksander slammed the phone back on its receiver. With a heavy sigh, he leaned onto his hands, the thumbs rubbing at his temples. And then someone knocked on his door. "What is it?"

"Is something wrong, da?" Konstantine peered at him through the door.

"Volke is wrong. That's what. I'm so close to shooting that fool it's not even funny."

Konstantine rubbed his teeth together in thought. Volke had never a good thing for the family, with his violent tendencies and whatnot. He was practically the only real reason they didn't get along with most of the other families on Manhattan. The actual reason Aleksander even hired him was to keep an eye on him, and that failed miserably. He had supporters within the family, and if his boss were to off him, most would either leave or attempt to kill him.

"I've found where Miss Masha lives." Konstantine blurted out in hopes to lighten his bosses mood. I worked almost instantaneously.

"Oh, is that so?"

He nodded.

"Well, that's great! I was really beginning to miss her."

"Little Miss Katja too, da?"

"Well, she most certainly does, no one quite looks like her mother except her aunt." He said with a grin. Katja was disappointed at leaving Masha behind when he came for her after the accident. But there was nothing he could do. There was no way a comatose patient would be able to travel such a long distance.

"Well then. Maybe… just maybe… we can ask her to come visit soon."

-…-..-.-.-.-.

**Oh my, it has been a while, hasn't it? Months in fact. I'm really sorry. First it was finals for the semester and then came Christmas, where I've been practically drowned in new games, from Skyrim to Skyward Sword to Kingdom Hearts BBS to Sengoku Basara 3 and Dragon Age Origins, not to mention the fact that I was having problems with my financial support so I was unable to get textbooks for this semester. Why? Because I was apparently breaking the bank. But now I have what I need so it's safe to start writing again. Yay!**

**Actually this is only one half of this chapter. I got writers block smack dab in the middle of the original version of this chapter (which is the October 10****th**** scenario) so after a month of mulling it over, I decided that everything I had written in my notebook was going into the stewpot. Therefore, you get this, the great chapter of non-great chapter of time travel, yes? All special for you~**

**A couple notes, I changed Konstantine's ja to da, because da is the Russian word for yes. It's very close though, da? XD**

**Yes, that's right, the incredible young couple she was sitting next just so happened to be Firo and Ennis. How fun, so how many of you guessed that?**

**The twins officially have names now, but the landlady still doesn't XD Such a shame.**

**Another note, the time line is a little off, seeing as Maiza didn't get back from his trip to Europe until 2004 I would guess, but then again, this story is more than just a little AU.**

**All right, I'm done rambling here.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Baccano! Including Luck and Firo, however, most of the people in this chapter do belong to me (get over it)namely Masha, Konstantine, and Aleksander.**


	7. Author's Note

Right so, my mistake in deleting that author's note. I'll replace it with this one. I realized soon after that people wouldn't be able to submit any reviews due to the fact that only one can be giving per chapter, sooooooooooooo, feel free to post your thoughts here on this one.


	8. Original Plotline and AN

I'M SCARED. Is what I'd like to say. Too scared to write. This 'cleansing' of , it really scares me. I mean, my stories could be right around the corner. I've had fanfiction of mine deleted without warning before, my first one in fact, and I'm positively frightened of it happening again.

But, while that may be an issue, you guys are still waiting for an update. So I'll try my best to do so. Course, they're probably going to be shorter, out of fear and impatience.

While I'm busy with that, I thought I might at least be able to entertain you with the original, original plot of the story.

-.-.-.-.-.

Masha used to be some tough chick who moved to New York AFTER GETTING OUT OF PRISON (actually I like the prison thing, getting his by a car? PFFPFPPF, what was I thinking? *facepalm*) and her and Luck's initial relationship came out incredibly antagonistic instead of just affable in Confessions and friendly in A Game of Risk. I decided that it was completely out of character for him, since he was suppose to be the 'calm and cool' sibling.

Konstantine used to be some burly, deeply tanned, black haired gay fellow who let her live in his apartment, because she only had enough money for a plane ticket I guess, and thus, being the tough girl she was, thought she could make it on the streets.

Aleksander was some mysterious figure that wouldn't appear until about 15 to 20 chapters in maybe. And all of the Yuriev family members were identified by tattoo's (Masha's was on her hand).

Masha got a job as a waitress (yes, I kept that at least) at a diner where Konstantine worked as a cook. And eventually the Gandor walk in, and Luck recognizes her, and then he corners her in the bathroom and then kidnaps her. At that point, I considered that to be creepy and fast paced, seeing as that was the fourth or third chapter and then I stopped writing and threw my composition book at the wall.

And then I downgraded it to Confessions. And you all saw the result.

.-.-.-.-.

So uh, yeah. I'll get to writing. Y'all can send me messages and whatnot on here if you're interested in kicking my ass into gear.


	9. Important Notice

Important Notice:

So I've gotten a few messages concerning whether or not I will be continuing A Game of Risk. And the answer to that is yes... and no.

I have plans to rewrite this yet again, but it won't be for a while. My laptop is currently broken (I smacked it too hard and the fan went kerflewy, never get a Compaq, they suck) so I'm stuck with this desktop... which is downstairs where I have no privacy. Good news is I'm getting new flooring in my room around November 5th, which mean I have to clean up the place, which in turn means I can fit a desk and my computer up there (though honestly the wireless in there is terrible). So I can start writing again soon.

Back to the fact that I'm rewriting again. It dawn on me that the nigh immortal Luck Gandor would make a lot more sense if he was the landlord instead of the crazy lady with the twins (no worries, they'll still be around as neighbors). Also instead on focusing solely on Volke as a villain, I wanted to stick a new group in. Sort of like the humonculi from the books, maybe they'll be a new group of immortals, I'm still working out some details. Also I may cross out and good amount of stuff, like Alexander being a mob boss and junk. You know, tone down on the sue-ish ness and give it a bit on normalcy before it goes downhill, yeah?

I will be trying to keep in all of my characters, so don't worry, none of your favorites are on the chopping block ;)

Thank you very much for your patience with, I'm terribly sorry for taking so long.


End file.
